12 Celebs Who Totally Queered the Red Carpet This Weekend

Last Saturday’s 29th Annual New York GLAAD Media Awards was an evening of celebration during a trying time — reminding queer people that it’s possible not only to be accepted, but cherished and loved for who we are. This spirit of love and togetherness was a running theme of the night, from Call Me By Your Name producer James Ivory’s speech about the movie’s impact while accepting the award for Outstanding Film, to Jay-Z’s mom Gloria Carter discussing her family’s consistent love upon coming out later in life, after accepting a special recognition award for her son’s single, “Smile.”

But perhaps the most touching moment of the night was when Samira Wiley, who has portrayed two landmark lesbian characters on TV — Poussey in Orange Is the New Black and Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale — accepted the Vito Russo Award. The actress spoke about coming out at 20 years old, while she was a student at Juilliard and her parents came to see her in a play. When Wiley nervously told her parents, “I like girls,” her father Dennis — who looked on in admiration as Wiley gave her speech — responded with a nonchalant “Cool,” and accepted his daughter without reservation. Wiley shared details on how her parents have supported her throughout her career as an actress, which has helped her become the star she is today.

In that same spirit of celebrating who we are, them. found Carter and Wiley, along with some of our favorite people at the awards — including Asia Kate Dillon, Gigi Gorgeous, Laverne Cox, and many others — and asked them to pose for pictures that celebrate their authentic selves. Check out the photos below.

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